The Statistical Link Between Casinos And Crime

The Link Between Casinos and Crime

It’s not hard to imagine that more crime takes place at a casino than most other types of public venues. Dark interiors, tons of cash moving around, and endless ways to try and scam the casino of some money. This has give rise to the belief that casinos are, in fact, unsafe places to visit, and the threat of being stuck in the middle of a casino heist all too real for many. The truth of the matter, however, is that casinos aren’t as dangerous as many might believe, and in fact, might be safer overall for the general public.

It all comes down to the statistics, and there has been quite a bit of research done on the crime rates that affect casinos around the world. Hollywood films have long conjured up the image of incredible heists taking place at a casino, where the evil mastermind eventually walks away with millions after planning an elaborate robbery. But if we’re to look at the actual evidence gathered by professionals, playing your favourite real money slots may just about be the safest pastime you can enjoy.

Casino Crime: Murder

Before we look at robbery, we should first look at murder. With the image of shady bookies hanging around casinos, it’s not difficult to believe that murders do happen more frequently than most people realise. This simply isn’t the case, as looking at the murder stats throughout the United States gambling cities as compared to the largest casino conglomeration in the world – Las Vegas – it shows that murders per 100000 people is actually some of the lowest in the country.

In fact, New Orleans has almost 4 times as many murders per 100K people, with Las Vegas coming in third, and Atlantic City coming in second.

The same applies to other types of crime, such as assault and property crime. While Las Vegas is still in the top 5, this is often because the city attracts a huge range of different people, and is not exclusively because the city has a larger number of casinos than other places.

Casino Crime: Robbery

The stats remain the same for robbery, where there are only 319 robberies per 100000 people, once again putting it third on the list. Atlantic City leads here, with over double the amount of robberies at 763.7. Property and vehicle theft are in the same boat, coming in third no matter what, and most of the crimes committed have no direction with casinos or gambling in general.

Casino Crime: In Conclusion

Using these stats, we can determine that although Las Vegas is by no means the safest city in the United States, it’s still far below the highest average, and is much safer to visit than New Orleans or Atlantic City. With all these stats, it might surprise many to learn that only two major gambling cities make it into the list of America’s most dangerous cities overall. The fact of the matter is that you’re much more likely to witness a crime watching a Hollywood film about Las Vegas than come face to face with any real crime while enjoying some slots.

The Clear Link Between Gambling and Crime

Perhaps it’s the flashing lights, the discordant cacophony of sounds, or the massive amounts of money that exchanges hands on a daily basis, but land-based casinos often bear the brunt of player frustration when it comes to losing. However, the perpetrators soon realise that crime and casinos don’t really mix and anyone who has ever felt tempted to take out their frustrations on fellow players or casino staff or property would be wise to remember that there is generally a decent sized team of burly men tasked with keeping the casino floor safe at all times.

EjWagner-CrimeHistorian.com takes a special interest in gambling and crime and anyone who shares this interest will find many fascinating true crime stories amongst our hallowed halls and gambling laws.